LongDong
09-03-15, 21:49
Hello, my name is Long, and I have had severe health anxiety for the past month and a half.
My anxiety "started" when I was smoking marijuana, and I started to feel like I was suffocating, and had trouble breathing. This is not the first time I was anxious over breathing, but never before has the panic lasted over a few hours. From then on, I started panicking on the train, in classrooms, at home, and waking up in the middle of the night due to dreams that triggered what I know now is a fear of suffocation.
Initially, I was stupefied, and let it run out of control. I suddenly developed fear of eating, fear of sleeping, fear of my heart rate, globus hysterics, etc.. I knew I had to make a change before the anxiety completely took me over.
Over the course of the past few weeks, I had started to fix up my life. I knew that the source of my anxiety was a fear of suffocation, so I decided to face the anxieties that had suffocation as its source.
First thing I began to fix was my fear of sitting on trains. I forced myself to focus on my apparent suffocation and globus. Initially, I was scared and failed a few times. But then I realized that I was being a "pussy" and decided to amplify these sensations. In the process I learned that the amplification decreased my fears by proving that I won't die.
The next thing I faced was my inability to eat without thinking I'm going to choke. Just for the record, I have a history of dysphagia (not being able to eat) so this was and still is a toughie for me. I started with soft foods like blended soup and ensure. Then I moved on to green smoothies with small seeds in them. Today I ate sardines in oil AND green smoothies. Tomorrow, I will probably do something seemingly more difficult.
My next step is probably jogging to prove to myself that I won't suffocate from a lack of oxygen. This will probably be tough initially, but i plan to jog for the health benefits.
What helped me:
- I knew in my heart of hearts that if I overcame this anxiety I would have more self-trust, self-worth, and healthy routines to live my life by.
- I also knew, since I am a 20 year old male in decent condition, that I cannot possibly die from these things. I simply needed to get over the fear.
- I learned that health anxiety CURED my social anxiety because I'm too busy worrying about my health to worry about coming off as stupid. Death is a powerful motivator.
- Finally, I knew that if I didn't overcome this, I would never be able to complete my life goals. I consider anxiety a "blessing in disguise" and would never wish it to go away, not even when I'm in the dumps. Anxiety motivates me to meditate, jog, eat healthy, and conquer fear. If I can conquer the fear of death, I can conquer anything.
- Accept that life always ends in death. There is no need to fear it; embrace it.
Thanks for reading! Remember all, face your fears EVERY DAY, even if it's just a little bit. The inches add up to miles, and before you know it, you'll be free from its temptatious shackles, and ready to challenge life.
My anxiety "started" when I was smoking marijuana, and I started to feel like I was suffocating, and had trouble breathing. This is not the first time I was anxious over breathing, but never before has the panic lasted over a few hours. From then on, I started panicking on the train, in classrooms, at home, and waking up in the middle of the night due to dreams that triggered what I know now is a fear of suffocation.
Initially, I was stupefied, and let it run out of control. I suddenly developed fear of eating, fear of sleeping, fear of my heart rate, globus hysterics, etc.. I knew I had to make a change before the anxiety completely took me over.
Over the course of the past few weeks, I had started to fix up my life. I knew that the source of my anxiety was a fear of suffocation, so I decided to face the anxieties that had suffocation as its source.
First thing I began to fix was my fear of sitting on trains. I forced myself to focus on my apparent suffocation and globus. Initially, I was scared and failed a few times. But then I realized that I was being a "pussy" and decided to amplify these sensations. In the process I learned that the amplification decreased my fears by proving that I won't die.
The next thing I faced was my inability to eat without thinking I'm going to choke. Just for the record, I have a history of dysphagia (not being able to eat) so this was and still is a toughie for me. I started with soft foods like blended soup and ensure. Then I moved on to green smoothies with small seeds in them. Today I ate sardines in oil AND green smoothies. Tomorrow, I will probably do something seemingly more difficult.
My next step is probably jogging to prove to myself that I won't suffocate from a lack of oxygen. This will probably be tough initially, but i plan to jog for the health benefits.
What helped me:
- I knew in my heart of hearts that if I overcame this anxiety I would have more self-trust, self-worth, and healthy routines to live my life by.
- I also knew, since I am a 20 year old male in decent condition, that I cannot possibly die from these things. I simply needed to get over the fear.
- I learned that health anxiety CURED my social anxiety because I'm too busy worrying about my health to worry about coming off as stupid. Death is a powerful motivator.
- Finally, I knew that if I didn't overcome this, I would never be able to complete my life goals. I consider anxiety a "blessing in disguise" and would never wish it to go away, not even when I'm in the dumps. Anxiety motivates me to meditate, jog, eat healthy, and conquer fear. If I can conquer the fear of death, I can conquer anything.
- Accept that life always ends in death. There is no need to fear it; embrace it.
Thanks for reading! Remember all, face your fears EVERY DAY, even if it's just a little bit. The inches add up to miles, and before you know it, you'll be free from its temptatious shackles, and ready to challenge life.